I don't post here much, but I am shocked by something that happened yesterday and I thought that the PPK would be the best place for me to find some support/advice/someone to listen to me vent.

Yesterday morning there was a cat stuck way up in a tree in my yard. I live in an old house that's been converted to 4 apartments. My landlord, another neighbor, and I all heard the cat crying out. We found where it was and a call was made to the local police/fire department for help. I had to go out, but when I came home hours later the cat was still in the tree. I was shocked. I called the police station again to report it and ask for help. The officer said the police and fire department had already been there. He told me they tried to get the cat out of the tree by spraying it with the hose (!!!), but the cat just went further up. He said they decided to just wait for it to come down itself, adding they usually come down after a few days (?). I said that the cat had been howling for hours; if it could get down I'm sure it would have done so by now. He just said the same thing over again. I tried to explain that the cat needed help but I could not get anywhere and gave up because I didn't feel comfortable pushing it with a cop.

I couldn't find anyone else to call. I live in a very small town and there is no animal control officer. I don't have a ladder so I couldn't get the cat myself. The cat's owner eventually showed up. She apparently knew the cat had been in the tree since early that morning and it was now around 6:00 pm. She stood there just trying to call the cat to come down. Soon after a man arrived, enraged, with a ladder. I don't know if the woman called him, but he put up his ladder and had the cat down in 5 minutes. The cat had been in that tree crying for over 10 hours and it only took 5 minutes to get it down.

PPK, I am so distressed about all of this. I cannot believe that the police and fire department didn't just put up a ladder to rescue the cat! I cannot believe they thought it was okay to spray it with the high-powered hose! I am horrified that they thought it was okay to just leave it up there suffering! I just cannot wrap my mind around the way they handled the whole thing - it is so cruel. I am writing a letter of complaint to the town board because that's all I can think to do. But I am so distressed by all of this and I thought the PPK would understand. I guess I needed to get this out and I'm hoping someone can commiserate, offer advice or share similar experiences. So many people witnessed these events, or parts of them, and no one seemed as alarmed as I feel.

Complain to the town, contact whatever local media you may have, and figure out what, if any, organization in your area is responsible for animal cruelty investigations. Here in Ontario you'd called the OSPCA for any serious allegations of abuse even though they wouldn't necessarily be local.

But, wow, time to speak to whomever is in charge about getting the cops and fire department some lessons on animal behaviour. Spray the cat to get it down? Clearly that makes sense.

I agree with Moon. Complain complain and complain!!! What if it was an actual child? Would they have sprayed it down and waited for it to come down on it's own??? HECK NO!!!! Complain to the media, complain to the board!! That's so irresponsible, irrational and INHUMAN! SHAME ON THEM!

Thanks for responding (and reading through my whole long post!). Moon, I had the same thought about needing lessons on animal behavior. These people seemed to really thing the cat would cry in distress for hours but still be able to come down on its own. Thank you for the info about who to call regarding animal cruelty. We have a humane society in our county but I was hesitant to call them because they practice euthanasia when their shelter gets overly full and while I support some of their work it is hard to support that.

And basslet77, I agree they would never do that to a human child. I had that thought too. It is just astonishing to me that an animal can be crying in distress and people can still not realize they have feelings.